Bill Text: VA HR365 | 2019 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Margaret O'Sullivan Flanagan.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2019-02-21 - Bill text as passed House (HR365ER) [HR365 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2019-HR365-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, in the fall of 2018, Margaret O'Sullivan Flanagan, a beloved, longtime English teacher at Clover Hill High School in Chesterfield County, began her 60th year of teaching; and
WHEREAS, born in 1942 in County Mayo, Ireland, Margaret Flanagan grew up in various villages throughout Ireland, moving with her family as her father, a police officer, was assigned a new territory every few years; in 1957, she graduated with honors from Saint Xavier Secondary School in County Clare; and
WHEREAS, Margaret Flanagan chose to join the community of the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate, and was sent to San Antonio, Texas, on her first assignment; in 1958 she was given her first teaching job in Hondo, Texas, through the local Catholic school; and
WHEREAS, Margaret Flanagan was 16 years old when she was given the task of teaching reading to non-English speaking migrant second-graders; she was quite successful, and by the end of the school year the students were reading English and speaking with an Irish brogue; and
WHEREAS, in 1967 Margaret Flanagan returned to the United States, choosing New York City as her home; there, she worked for Allied Chemical Corporation as a proofreader in the legal department; in 1969, she accepted her first paid teaching position in Old Bridge, New Jersey, at a junior high school; she remained there until 1971, when she moved to Virginia with her fiancé, Thomas Flanagan; and
WHEREAS, the couple wed in 1972 and Margaret Flanagan continued teaching in several Catholic schools around Richmond including St. Elizabeth's and Sacred Heart; she also had a brief stint as a radio advertiser in Blackstone, Virginia, while taking courses at Longwood College; and
WHEREAS, Margaret Flanagan completed her teaching degree at Virginia Commonwealth University in the early 1980s; in 1983, she accepted a teaching position at Clover Hill High School; she has remained there for the past 35 years; and
WHEREAS, during Margaret Flanagan's tenure at Clover Hill High School, she has sponsored the yearbook, taught senior English, Advanced Placement English Literature, and Interdisciplinary Studies as well as serving on various committees; she was awarded Teacher of the Year, and began a food pantry for hungry children within the school, which expanded into FEED 23112, a community food bank; and
WHEREAS, Margaret Flanagan was honored on November 1, 2018, with the dedication of the Margaret O'Sullivan Flanagan Sharing Library at Clover Hill High School; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Margaret O'Sullivan Flanagan, a beloved, longtime English teacher at Clover Hill High School in Chesterfield County, hereby be commended for her 60th year of teaching; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Margaret O'Sullivan Flanagan as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for her dedication to her students and to education.
